The shooting of Michael Brown occurred on August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri, a northern suburb of St. Louis. Brown, an 18-year-old black male, was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, 28, a white Ferguson police officer. The disputed circumstances of the shooting of the unarmed 18-year-old sparked existing tensions in the predominantly black city, where protests and civil unresterupted. The events received considerable attention in the U.S. and elsewhere, attracted protesters from outside the region, and generated a vigorous debate about the relationship between law enforcement and African Americans as well as created a national dialogue about police use of forcedoctrine in Missouri and nationwide.
Shortly before the shooting, Brown stole several packages of cigarillos from a nearby convenience store and shoved the store clerk who tried to stop him. Brown was accompanied by his friend Dorian Johnson.[2] Then Officer Wilson had been notified by police dispatch of the robbery and descriptions of the two suspects. He encountered Brown and Johnson as they were walking down the middle of the street. Wilson said that he realized that the two men matched the robbery suspects’ descriptions.[3][4] Wilson backed up his cruiser and blocked them. An altercation ensued with Brown and Wilson struggling through the window of the police vehicle for control of Wilson’s gun until it was fired.[5] Brown and Johnson then fled, with Wilson in pursuit of Brown. Brown stopped and turned to face the officer, then Brown moved toward him.[6] Wilson fired at Brown several times in total, all shots striking him in the front, with the possible exception of the two bullets fired into Brown’s right arm.[7] In the entire altercation, Wilson fired a total of twelve bullets;[8] the last was probably the fatal shot.[9][10][11] Brown was unarmed and moving toward Wilson when the final shots were fired. Witness reports differed as to what Brown was doing with his hands when he was shot, but none of the witnesses who said that Brown had his hands up in surrender were later found to be credible.[12]
The shooting sparked unrest in Ferguson. The “hands up” account was widely circulated within the black community immediately after the shooting and it contributed to the strong protests and outrage about the killing of the unarmed man. It was not proved inaccurate until months later.[13] Believing accounts that Brown had his hands up in surrender when he was shot, protesters chanted, “Hands up, don’t shoot.” Protests, both peaceful and violent, along with vandalism and looting, continued for more than a week in Ferguson; police established a nightly curfew. The response of area police agencies in dealing with the protests was strongly criticized by the media and politicians. There were concerns over insensitivity, tactics, and a militarized response. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ordered local police organizations to cede much of their authority to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
A grand jury was called and given extensive evidence from Robert McCulloch, the St. Louis County Prosecutor, in a highly unusual process. On November 24, 2014, McCulloch announced that the St. Louis County grand jury had decided not to indict Wilson.[14] On March 4, 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice reported the conclusion of its own investigation and cleared Wilson of civil rights violations in the shooting. It found that witnesses who corroborated the officer’s account were credible, and it was also supported by forensic evidence. Witnesses who had incriminated him were not credible, including some who admitted they had not directly seen the events.[15][13] According to the evidence, Wilson shot Brown in self-defense.[16][17]
